Grimethorpe Colliery Band

The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band. The band has 28 players. History edit: The year after the band's formation saw it enter its first competition at Belle Vue in Manchester.Its first radio broadcast was in 1932 and from 1941 to 1951 was on UK national radio every month. George Thompson was musical director from the early 1950s until 1972 during which time the band won the British Open Contest for the first time. Thompson was followed by Elgar Howarth as Professional Conductor and Musical Director. 1974 saw the band, along with Black Dyke Mills Band, become the first to perform at The Proms. The band continued through the industrial troubles of the 1980s and the closure of Grimethorpe Colliery on 13 October 1992. However the Band gained first place with 99 out of 100 on 17 October 1992 in the National Brass Band Championship at the Royal Albert Hall. Following the closure of the Grimethorpe Colliery in 1993, the Band was sponsored by RJB Mining (later UK Coal plc) and then by Powerfuel. Premieres edit: The Grimethorpe Colliery Band has premiered some of the most important brass music of the twentieth century, including Sir Harrison Birtwistle's Grimethorpe Aria, written for the band, and Hans Werner Henze's Ragtimes and Habaneras as well as several pieces by Sir Malcolm Arnold. Rock and pop edit: The band has appeared on rock and pop records, notably "When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease", on Roy Harper's 1975 HQ album and the 1978 Peter Skellern hit "Love is the Sweetest Thing". In films edit: International fame came with the film Brassed Off, the plot of which was based on Grimethorpe's struggles against pit closures, and whose soundtrack was recorded by the band. The band also performed Ron Goodwin's film score for the 1976 Disney film Escape from the Dark (also called the Littlest Horse Thieves), with the composer conducting. They also recorded some of the Beautiful South's hits in the 1996 and the tracks were given as extra tracks on the cd single issues Honours edit: National Brass Band Championships - Winners 1970, 1992, 2006 and 2007., English National Brass Band Championships - Winners 2007, 2008., Yorkshire Champions - 1963, 1967, 1973, 1983, 1991, 1995, 2005, 2006., Brass in Concert Champions - 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2001 to 2005 and 2010., Mineworkers' Champions - 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973 to 1980, 1983, 1985 to 2002., British Open Champions - 1969, 1984, 1991., Granada Band of the Year - 1972, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1985., Other events edit: The band represented England at the European Brass Band Championship in Norway in May 2008 and came second behind the Cory Band, both on 194 points. In June 2008 Grimethorpe gained its second successive victory at the English National Brass Band Championships, thus qualifying to represent England once again at the European Championships in Ostende, Belgium, in 2009. Notable members edit: Roger Webster - current Principal Cornet, Partial discography edit: Year Album Conductor 1976 Grimethorpe Special Elgar Howarth 1991 A Night at the Opera Elgar Howarth 1992 Paganini Variations Frank Renton 1993 Wilby Frank Renton & Garry Cutt 1995 Wagner Elgar Howarth 1999 Grimethorpe Colliery Band - Australian Tour Edition Elgar Howarth 2001 Eric Ball - The Undaunted Elgar Howarth 2002 Grimethorpe in Concert Garry Cutt 2004 Grimethorpe in Concert Volume II Richard Evans 2004 The History of Brass Band Music - The Golden Era Elgar Howarth 2004 The History of Brass Band Music - The Salvation Army Connection Elgar Howarth 2005 The History of Brass Band Music - The Early Years Elgar Howarth 2006 The History of Brass Band Music - The Modern Era Elgar Howarth 2007 Grimethorpe in Concert Volume III Richard Evans & Philip Harper 2007 The History of Brass Band Music - Classical Arrangements Elgar Howarth 2008 The History of Brass Band Music - New Adventures Elgar Howarth 2008 Hymns Phillip McCann 2010 Grimethorpe in Concert Volume IV James Gourlay 2010 Hymns Volume II James Gourlay 2011 By Request Brian Grant

Source: Wikipedia

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